I could be wrong

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

I’M writing this today, Wednesday, two days before The PUNCH deadline because I have to travel to Baguio City to meet the Tour entourage and to lend moral support to our Pangasinan road gladiators because I believe they need some. So far, they had    been leading from day two up to the sixth day, and that’s today.

Our local rider Ericson Obosa of Manaoag wrested the coveted ‘yellow jersey’ from Nueva Ecijano stalwart Frederick Feliciano on day two and unfortunately relinquished the lead to Malabon born 1996 Marlboro Tour champ Victor Espiritu on day three.

Pozorrubio’s pride and 2003 Tour Pilipinas titlist Arnel Quirimit set the pace on day four and defended it up to the fifth day.

As of this writing, the sixth stage   completed May 23, which ended in San Fernando City, La Union from Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, was just won by San Fabian born and 2005 Tour de Langkawi veteran Sherwin Carrera. Seven-time ‘sprint king’ Enrique Domingo from San Carlos City landed second. These two husky riders from our beloved province are members of the dreaded Pangasinan cycling squad called “Pitaki Boyz” of Jazy’s Sportswear.

After six days of road battling, Asingan’s best Baler Ravina captured the lead from Quirimit and another Pangasinense, former national team member Renato Sembrano from Mangaldan is closely trailing behind Ravina with only 29 seconds off the pace.

In my last column, I said my first choice to win this year’s race is Victor Espiritu. My second and third choices are Llyod Reynante and Frederick Feliciano, respectively. They are all non-Pangasinenses.

My fourth to seventh are Barnachea, Quirimit, Merculio Ramos, Jr. and Obosa. And as of today, six of the seven that I picked are all in the top ten, except for Feliciano who abandoned today’s 213-kilometer race due to a bad fall which resulted to a fractured clavicle. If not for that unfortunate incident, for sure he would have still been in the ‘magic ten’ today and ready for the mountain climbs. That’s his forte.

I did not choose Ravina to win this year’s event because of all the races that he joined which I directed; I can see that he lacked something, especially the sagacity to become a champion in this kind of multi-stage racing. Yes, I would admit that he got the vigor and skill in this two-wheeled event but he’s so lackadaisical in his techniques. He lacks the experience where tactical strategies are concerned.

I still recall the adage of back-to-back champion Cornelio Padilla, Jr. during our races in the 60’s wherein he figuratively said, “In any race that you should join, you must use your head more than your feet.”

No wonder, he became champion twice (1966-1967) and then a lawyer, passing the bar in 1974 on his first try.

I also did not pick my town mate Sembrano because he’s not yet ripe for this big event. But slowly and surely, he’s gaining a lot of experience and who knows, still young at 27, he could be champ next year or in 2009.

The two Baguio climbs on May 24 and 25 will make the big difference. This is where the boys will be separated from the men. The strong and more skilled pedal pushers will prevail like what happened in the past. (By the time this issue comes out on Sunday, the Baguio stages would already be finished and the champ would already be known).

I am sticking to my prediction that my first choice to win this year’s race is Espiritu. He got all the ingredients including mountain climbing capability, international experience, and the perseverance and the determination to win.

I could be wrong but hope I’m not.

Let’s wait and see.

(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/)

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